Spring Break Ablaze
by Storm77
Summary: AU- Tony is seventeen, Shannon and Kelly are alive, and it's spring break. Tony goes on a walk and finds Gibbs' house on fire.
1. Chapter 1

Tony was tired. It was spring break and his father had promised to come to see him, but 'unexpectedly a very important business meeting had come up.' He had said the last Christmas break too. He supposed he should be used to it by now, but it still hurt that his dad couldn't make time for him. All of his friends were elsewhere with their families, leaving a very lonely Tony behind. His dad did send two thousand dollars and told him to go wherever he wanted, and he hadn't planned on going anywhere, but after feeling so alone, he had decided to go to California. He got a cheap hotel and was gonna stay for a couple of days; he might even be able to cheer himself up by going to the beach.

It was almost midnight, and he had decided to take a walk to try and clear his head. The crisp, chilly air felt very refreshing after he had been cooped up for so long in his dorm. He was walking down a street filled with family houses and perfect lawns, when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. His brow furrowed and he turned his head to investigate what had caught his attention. He was unsure of what it would be, but he was admittedly not expecting to see a house's upper story right corner on fire. The fire wasn't large, and there was minimal smoke so he doubted the family inside had even noticed it yet.

"Hey!" he yelled hoping that a window might have been left open somewhere. His hopes were proved futile, however, when after a minute the only response he received was a bird's chirp. He ran up the steps to the red door and pounded on the door and tried the doorbell, but the house's occupant remained stubbornly asleep. He pondered on what his next move should be, the fire was still small enough that it wasn't really life threatening, but anyone inside was a sitting duck. After a few seconds he figured it was best to just call 911, seeing as how the family inside remained very oblivious. He pulled out his phone to dial, but cursed when he saw he had no bars. He glanced up at the house again, hating the position he was in. He was contemplating of running up the street to try and get a signal when the flames grew abruptly larger indicating it had found something to fuel it. It had significantly grown much more dangerous in a very short period and Tony began to cough harshly as he breathed in the thick smoke.

Neighboring house's lights began to flick on as they finally realized what was happening. He figured that someone would have the ability to call 911, he doubted they would live where they could never get a signal, so he decided to take action himself and let someone else call. He covered his nose with his t-shirt and kicked open the door easily. His eyes watered as he waved away the smoke, trying to see where the stairs were. He muttered a curse, knowing he should sprinted up the street to call 911 as soon as had seen the house ablaze. _Too late now,_ he thought with resentment.

After running into a few objects in his zig zag path he managed to find the steps leading to the burning upstairs. He climbed them quickly, and when he reached the top, he searched for doors. He found one and put the back of his hand against the door to see if the fire had managed to get into there. The door was relatively cool considering the circumstances, but opening it revealed that it simply led into an unoccupied bathroom. The next door he found did feel as it was the only barrier between himself and the fire, but his instincts disregarded the fact and he opened it. Immediately he took a step back as the full blast of heat hit him, but he could see that it was a bedroom. There was a line of flames right in front of the doorway, and from behind it he could see the outline of an adult that was desperately trying to get out. Behind the line of flames the space was relatively untouched besides the fact it had the heat of a furnace, which meant he would be okay if he could just get past the small fire. Tony decided his best shot was to run through it and hope for the best, so with one large intake of thick air and a silent prayer, he bolted into the room. As soon as he was by the bed he realized two things, one, he was not dead. Two, his pant leg was burning. He dropped to the ground and rolled, extinguishing it within seconds. However, it had been aflame long enough to burn Tony's skin painfully, but he didn't have time to worry about himself. He shot up to his feet and found himself facing a thirty something year old man who looked surprisingly calm for the situation, pointing down to a women that was his assumed wife on the bed. She looked as if she was only sleeping, but Tony concluded that she must have passed out from the incredibly thick smoke. He nodded and considered his options. They could go through the doorway which he predicted to soon crumble, or they could go through the window. The window seemed like the obvious option but he was unsure of how to get the wife down without hurting her since they were on the second floor. "Window?" he choked out with his voice raspy, the single word causing him to cough. The man seemed to think for a moment and then he mouthed the word 'daughter'.

"I'll get her. Get out," Tony said with difficulty, having to squint to see the man in front of him. The man seemed very reluctant so he told him, "I promise." The man finally nodded and scooped his wife up. How the man was going to get his wife unharmed to the ground was a wonder, but Tony had his own issues to think about. If he was going to go through the doorway he had to do it now, while the structure was still semi-stable. He gave the man one last look that was returned before running back into the hallway. This time when he made it through alive he had no time to check himself for injuries. He was now facing flames on all sides of him, but luckily in the direction he wanted to go the fire was less concentrated. He was able to get past relatively easy and with minimal pain.

He needed to act fast because he could no longer see his hand in front of him, and his clothes stuck to him tightly from his sweat. After passing a door that only led into an office, he found a door covered in stickers that he quickly deduced to be the daughter's room. Fortunately the door was closed, which he knew to effectively slow the spread of fire. The door did not feel hot so he opened it only as far as he had to and quickly slid inside, closing the door behind him. The room was painted purple and furnished with copious pink furniture. In the corner was the bed, but it was empty, the blankets half on the ground. _She must've gotten scared,_ he realized. _Where do kids hide when they're scared?_ He thought back to when he was a kid and he was hiding from his dad because he had done something wrong. He would have gone beneath the desk, under the bed, or in the closet. He coughed harshly and looked under the desk, but he only found a little mermaid doll. He checked under the bed and relief flooded through him as he found a small figure curled up and coughing.

"Hey," Tony forced out. The little girl's head lifted up slowly to look at him, and Tony's heart clenched when he saw the fear in her eyes. Tony gently picked her up from underneath the bed and cradled her, allowing her to clutch onto his shirt and bury her face in his shoulder. He looked for an exit but assessed that the way he came in was not an option after feeling the door. Once again, that left the window. He now wondered how, or if, that man had gotten his wife down, and if he could do it too. He had too. He had promised the man. "Hey," Tony croaked out. "I need you to hold on tight." She nodded and Tony got her in a piggyback hold. He couldn't figure out how to open the window and then he would have to deal with the screen; they didn't have time for that. He grabbed a chair from by the desk and swung it at the window while protecting his face. The glass shattered and Tony hastily brushed away the jagged pieces in the edges with the blanket on the ground. He climbed through and felt bad when he heard the girl whimper, most likely because he had missed a bit of glass and it had caught her in the back. _It's better than dying of smoke inhalation,_ Tony reminded himself. He was now on the angled roof, sliding down because his shoes couldn't get any grip. He knew he should just jump when he reached the rapidly approaching edge, rather than falling and landing on the cement patio. He felt the arms around his neck tighten as his foot reaches the gutter, and he pushes off with one leg to propel himself away from the house in order to land on the softer grass. For a second he's flying with the air whistling in his ear, and then in the next he's landing _hard_ on his hands on knees. Simultaneously the weight on his back is lifted and he collapses to the ground, coughing and unable to draw air into his lungs. Someone rolls him over and props him up, but it does little to help him breath. His lungs burn from the lack of oxygen, but finally, after what felt like hours, he's able to draw in erratic gasps of air. He knows his adrenaline has worn off because his chest hurts, along with his arms and legs. He looks around and sees that the man is the one who is helping him, and the wife in now awake and holding her sobbing daughter firmly. The wail of sirens is loud, which meant Tony had been right, the neighbors were able to get a signal.

"I'm Gibbs. Are you okay?" the man asked Tony. He nods, still using an abnormal amount of attention on breathing. He sits up so that he no longer needs Gibbs to prop him up, and pushes his hair out of his face.

"I'm Tony," he says. " Your daughter?"

Gibbs sort of half smiles at that. "She's fine. Thank you for helping her." Tony just nodded absentmindedly. "Do you need me to call anyone?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Tony replied with a barely detectable hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Won't you parents wonder what happened?"

"No, I go to Rhode Island Military School. My mom's dead and my dad's busy."

"Should I call the school?"

"No, it's spring break." Gibbs studies him, making him uncomfortable. He feels almost vulnerable, like Gibbs is looking right through him. Fortunately for him, the ambulance chooses that minute to pull up. Paramedics swarm the place, all of them needing oxygen masks, except Gibbs obstinately refused his. Only Tony had to go to the hospital to get x-rays for his arm, they weren't sure if he had broken it in the fall or not. Everyone else was fine after about twenty of minutes with the oxygen, but Gibbs decided that he would go with Tony so he wouldn't be alone. Shannon and Kelly were going to the Tyler's empty house, they were on vacation, until they could decided what they're next move would be.

Tony was not happy to be going to the hospital. He hated the disease-ridden places that always made him feel like a pincushion. When he got there he got his leg wrapped, then both his arms x-rayed, and then they had to wrap his right arm, then he had to take pills to fight infection to the burn, and then they checked his lungs, and finally they checked him for a concussion. "I didn't even hit my head!" Tony had protested and been ignored. When he was finally released he was exhausted and curious of how he was going to get to his hotel, and what he was going to do with a broken arm when got back to school. He was leaving the room, having no idea what he was going to do, when he saw Gibbs sitting in one of those god awful chairs, sipping a coffee.

"Hey," he said to catch his attention. Gibbs looked over and seemed to evaluate Tony, looking at the gauze on his leg poking out from beneath his jeans and his casted arm.

"Are you good to go?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. Could you give me a ride to my hotel and the airport?"

"Kid, there's no way you can fly back to Rhode Island tonight. You can stay with us for the night."

"Thank you, sir, but I really need to get back."

"It wasn't an invitation, Tony. It was an order, now come on." Gibbs told him gruffly, then stood up and left the room, leaving a rather shocked Tony behind. He quickly caught up, and silently followed Gibbs, who didn't even acknowledge him. They got into the car that Tony had seen in Gibbs' driveway earlier, the older man continuing to refuse making eye contact. They drove to another family house that he had never seen before, and parked in the road. When they got out of the car Tony started walking towards the house, but Gibbs caught him by his good arm. He turned around slowly and warily, not sure of what Gibbs was doing. Gibbs gave him a look that could not be labelled, and then said, "Thank you. For saving us."

Tony nodded and said, "Of course." Gibbs didn't really looked satisfied for some reason, but he let go of him. Tony was beginning to think that Gibbs had a very confusing personality that was hard to keep up with. They walked into the house and he immediately saw the daughter asleep, her mother beside the girl awake. She stood up when she saw him and quickly crossed the distance between them, giving him a huge hug. Tony suppressed a groan as she squeezed his sore midsection, and was grateful when she let go.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, looking near to tears.

"You're welcome, ma'am." he told her with a small smile.

"You can call me Shannon. That's my daughter Kelly that you saved." Tony smiled and nodded, looking at the sleeping girl. She looked so innocent in her sleep, and she was really pretty.

The night went by quickly. He talked quite a lot to Gibbs and Shannon, who both turned out to be very kind, granted Gibbs was a very different form.

"What do you plan on doing when you graduate from school?" Gibbs had asked.

"Go pro in football or basketball," Tony had replied.

"If that doesn't work out, you could always join NCIS." Gibbs had suggested, and Tony knew he was telling the truth.

"Alright," Tony had answered with a nod.

When Gibbs had seen him yawning he had forced him to bed, as if he was a child. For some reason he didn't mind too much though. He had changed into some provided clothes, which had gotten him to where he was now, lying in the guest bedroom. Sleep pulled at him, but he was nervous. He knew there was a possibility he would have nightmares that had been plaguing him on and off in the past year, and he would feel terrible if he accidently woke someone else up. _Oh, well. I have to sleep,_ he thought to himself. He allowed himself to fall into the tugging darkness, hoping desperately to get a good night's sleep.

He woke up gasping and covered in perspiration. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself down, without succeeding much. Sunlight poured in from the window telling him it was morning. At least he had slept through the night. So much for small victories.

He pushed his sweaty hair back, and tried to remember what the dream was about, but he had already forgotten. Like he always did. He hated how he would wake up terrified and he didn't even know why. Nightmares he could deal with. But not knowing what they were about? That was just down right annoying.

He stood up and got dressed into slightly too big sweatpants and a t-shirt that someone had put on the edge of his bed while he was sleeping. He walked out into the hallway and smiled when he saw everyone awake. _Maybe spring break wouldn't be terrible after all,_ he thought while walking over to join them at the table.

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	2. Chapter 2

After having a delicious pancake breakfast with the family, he borrowed Gibbs' cell to call his dad. While he doubted Senior would care much about his injury, he thought it might make him upset if he heard it from the school instead of Tony. He went into the unoccupied family room and dialed the number, already wary of the oncoming conversation. He waited anxiously as it rang twice, hoping that Senior would answer so he could get this over with as soon as possible.

"Hello?" he heard his father's slightly annoyed voice ask. _Great, I'm already off to a bad start._

"Uh, hi, dad. It's me." he greeted timidly.

"Junior, what are you doing calling me during my business meeting? I already told you I couldn't come for spring break. I gave you two thousand dollars for goodness sake!"

"Well, yeah, and I went to California. I saw a burning house and I-" Tony would have continued, but was cut off by his angry dad.

"Tell me you did not go inside!" he yelled and Tony winced at his furious tone.

"Well, yeah, I did go inside. I got a little girl out, but I broke my arm." His dad could be rather frightening at times, and he was presently forcing himself not to stutter with great strength.

"Anthony! What are you going to do at school now?"

"I'll get a short leave, then attend everything I normally would at school without participating."

"Anthony, did you even think before you went inside that house?!"

"Yeah, I actually did, dad. I thought about how someone inside was in danger."

"You'll never get anywhere in life if you think like that," Senior said harshly. "We'll talk about this later. I have a meeting." With that he hung up, leaving a very frustrated Tony on a disconnected line. He sighed and balled his hands into fits, working himself up as he thought about everything that Senior had done in the past years. Wrath took control of Tony, and he stood up, drawing his arm back to punch the wall. He was about to release the power of his arm, but before he could, he felt a strong hand grab his bicep, preventing him from moving his arm. He closed his eyes and took a couple deep breathes before turning around to face who he knew was Gibbs.

"Sorry, I-" he began.

"Rule 6, Tony. Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness." Gibbs told him with an unreadable expression.

"What?" he asked. He had heard just fine, but he was confused. No, at this point it would be better put as shocked.

"Rule 6 is to never apologize," he repeated slowly.

"Okay," Tony said, drawing out the word, once again internally remarking on how Gibbs was truly an enigma.

"I heard the conversation, Tony."

"Mmmm. My dad isn't the greatest." he stated vaguely.

"Was he really upset that you helped us?" Gibbs inquired, his disbelief evident on his face.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But what Tony?" he growled as his grip on Tony's arm increased to be almost painful. He glanced at it, and Gibbs immediately let go, looking as if he hadn't realized he had still been holding him.

"My dad just probably thought the fire was minor or something."

"Are you convincing me or yourself?" Gibbs accused.

"Gibbs, my father's just-"

"Don't make excuses for him. " Gibbs said and shook his head. "C'mon, Kelly wants to show you something she made." Gibbs led Tony into the other room where Kelly was proudly holding up her crayon drawing of Tony. He was wearing a cape, and below him in large, messy letters hero was scrawled. Tony beamed and walked over to Kelly.

"Thank you!" he said as she handed him the drawing.

"You're welcome," Kelly said before drawing him into a tight hug. Eventually Shannon and Gibbs left the room, allowing Tony to play with Kelly. She had managed to get him to agree to color with him, so they sat drawing in too small chairs for his liking. Kelly happily talked enough for both of them, her topic of conversation changing so fast it was hard to keep up with. One minute she was describing her favorite movie, The Little Mermaid, and the next she was explaining how her daddy was a hero.

"What's the coolest thing your dad's ever done?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Well, one time, when my daddy was at work, he saved five people from the bad guys. That's all he would tell me, but that's really cool, right?"

"Totally." he agreed.

"Have you ever seen seen Brave?" she asked without looking up from her self declared masterpiece of a butterfly.

"Of course! You've got to love Merida." Tony smiled at Kelly.

"Mmmmm. I like the bear." Tony tried his hardest to not laugh, he loved Kelly. You had to truly be special to forget about the main character and instead like the bear.

"Everyone likes the bears," Tony told Kelly, his face still red from restraining his laughter. Kelly laughed, and Tony noticed Gibbs was watching them for the first time. He was smiling in the corner, looking as if he had expected Tony would like Kelly.

"Hey, Kelly, I'm going to go to talk to your dad." he told her gently.

"Okay," she told him contentedly, turning back to her drawing. Tony stood up and stretched his cramped legs before joining Gibbs in the corner.

"Gibbs spring break ends tomorrow. Could you drive me to the hotel and airport tonight?"

"You told your dad you could get a short leave." Gibbs reminded him without giving him an answer.

"I can, but I need to clear it with the school in person." he explained, not looking or feeling very happy about it.

"Okay. I'll be able to take you tonight. You have tickets all worked out?"

"Of course. I'll be able to be back in Rhode Island before school starts with plenty of time to unpack, as long as I can be there at six."

"I can get you there, but Kelly and Shannon won't be happy you're leaving."

"I think I might be insulted if they weren't." Tony joked, his usual default mechanism in uncomfortable situations. Gibbs huffed, his own way to express his amusement.

"Think you'll visit next year?" Gibbs asked while studying Tony.

"I can sure as heck try," he promised. Gibbs gave him his usual slimmer of a smile before disappearing into the other room, presumedly to explain what Tony had just told him to Shannon.

The day passed quickly. Shannon and Gibbs talked about what they were going to do now with the house, and Tony and Kelly watched movies and colored. They got take out for lunch, and soon, much sooner than Tony would have liked, he was getting ready to leave.

"Don't go," Kelly pleaded while jumping onto him and hugging his midsection.

"Sorry, Kelly, but I really have to." he told her while gently prying her off of him.

Next was Shannon. She embraced him too, whispering "Thank you for everything." He nodded back, but honestly didn't really feel like he done that much. He knew his dad's words had gotten to him and were currently screwing with his head. Even thousands of miles away Senior was still able to unsettle him.

"Goodbye, I'll see you next year hopefully. Thank you for your hospitality," he said in farewell before joining Gibbs in the car. They drove in a companionable silence to the hotel where Tony promptly got out followed by Gibbs.

"Gibbs, you can stay in the car. I don't need help."

"Tony, you need to be able to accept help sometimes." Gibbs told him before walking into the hotel, leaving Tony confused and alone in the parking lot. By the time he had the sense to catch up, Gibbs was already getting the key to his room from the front desk. He was holding up his badge and totally scaring the young man, who looked like he might be a drug addict. Embarrassed, he quickly ran up to Gibbs and starting pushing him away mid-sentence.

"Sorry," Tony quickly told the worker before walking out of earshot of the employee. "Seriously? You couldn't have waited for me to use my key?" he asked Gibbs who looked surprisingly cool for just being shoved by a seventeen year old.

"You were taking too long," he replied simply before plucking the heavy metal key from Tony's hand. He made his way to the room with Tony in tow, who was unsure of what current emotions he was feeling towards Gibbs. When they entered the room Gibbs looked around, taking in the cheap, peeling wallpaper, old and stained bed, and filthy bathroom.

"How long did you plan on staying here?" Gibbs asked sounding upset, which just served to confuse him further.

"The amount of time I spent with you guys," he replied hoping that was the right answer seeing how Gibbs acted like there was one.

It was instantly glaringly obvious that it was the wrong one.

"And your dad just let you? And encouraged it? It's not even legal for you to get a hotel room." It technically wasn't illegal for a minor to rent a hotel room, that is if you went through the right channels, got the right signatures, and gave the extra cash. Seeing as how Tony had failed to do so however, it was true he was staying there against numerous rules.

"My dad didn't know where I was staying," he defended indignantly.

"But he did know that it's virtually impossible and illegal for a seventeen year old to get a hotel." Gibbs pointed out and Tony hesitated to reply, knowing that Gibbs was right.

"Whatever, Gibbs. Lets just get the stuff and get to the airport," he said sounding deflated even to his own ears. He grabbed his backpack and suitcase, and left the dinghy room and headed to the car, preparing for an awkward drive.

He was unfortunately correct, the short road-trip covered in a heavy blanket of silence making it seem excruciatingly long. When the car drew to a stop in the parking lot he practically jumping out and went to get his stuff. He had survived the hard part, but now he had to say goodbye, which might prove to be even more challenging.

He found himself facing Gibbs and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when he saw Gibbs extended arm with a box in his hand. Tony reluctantly took the plain black box and opened it, surprised to see a small, sharp knife.

"Rule nine. Always carry a knife. I know you can't take it with you on your flight so I'll mail it to you."

A smile lit up his face and he sincerely told Gibbs, "Thank you."

Gibbs nodded with his own smile then took the box back and returned it to his pocket. "You should get going. If anyone ever bothers you, all you have to do is call."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tony promised before shaking Gibbs' hand.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Some time has skipped to that football game Tony talked about in SWAK. I'm sorry this took so long to write, school has made my life chaotic.**

The game had been promised to be a good one. The teams were practically equal in strength and skill, prompting the audience to be nearly double its usual size. People had gone crazy, from face paint, to hair dye, and all the way to painting their entire selves their school colors. By halftime the crowd was wild and barely kept under control by the few security guards. Everyone was either cheering, jumping, and screaming or doing a combination of the three.

Down on the field the home team was exhausted, sweat pouring down their faces and sticking to their bodies. Still they were smiling because they were a point ahead, and they were all ready to crush the Michigan team. Their coach talked of strategies, but their minds were solely focused on the glory that they would receive if they could push through to the end. They would practically be heroes if they won, and they all knew it.

Soon half time was ending and they were forcing the last gulps of water down their throats before jogging back onto the field. They approached their assigned positions and prepared themselves, most of them thinking of the loved one that was there encouraging them.

And then there was Tony, the wide receiver. He did not have anyone there to support him; his dad had bluntly turned down the invitation. He hadn't been disappointed, even a little happy that at least he hadn't made up a lousy last minute excuse. He had, however, been bothered when some of his teammates had mocked him, even though he knew that they teased everyone and everything and it wasn't intended to be taken personally.

But he didn't truly care about any of that, especially at that moment. He was too eager about recounting the game to Gibbs if they won. He had debated inviting the entire family, but then subsequently figured they would feel obligated to attend, and he certainly did not desire that. So instead he convinced himself it didn't matter he was alone, and tucked his excitement to the back of his mind while he tried to evaluate the game.

He got into his stance, bending his knees and leaving his legs shoulder width apart. His arms rested comfortably on his knees while his right leg was slightly back and the weight of it rested in his toes. The center hiked the ball to the quarterback who prepared mentally and physically to make a pass. Tony immediately exploded forward as fast as he could force his legs to move keeping in mind where he planned on ending. The defensive end attempted to block him, provoking him to quickly fake left and burst right faster than he had thought he could've possibly done. His body burned from the effort, but he pushed through, and split his attention with his rapidly approaching destination and the quarterback who still held the ball. The wind offered resistance as its powerful force blew against him, but he was unstoppable today. Looking behind him he watched with concentration as the quarterback brought back his muscled arm and then released it forward in a mighty arch, sending the ball to Tony, who leaped into the air to receive it.

The entire ordeal served to confuse Tony. One second he was flying through the air, the next there was the satisfying weight of the football that reassured him that he had caught it. In the third, his feet were hitting the ground. But then on the fourth and fifth he was on the ground. And on the sixth there was a weird feeling in his leg, scratch that, his entire body. Somehow he knew there was plenty of voices talking to him, but their words were falling on deaf ears. Something was wrong, very wrong, but it was too difficult to force himself to think. There was blurs of movement and colored blobs but following them only made his stomach turn with nausea. Something was being put in front of his face moving, forcing Tony to swallow back bile that threatened to come up. He studied the tanish, slender object and decided it was a finger. His slow brain managed to put together pieces that he was probably being tested for a concussion. Judging by the fact he hadn't made his eyes follow the finger and the surrounding voices increasing in urgency he thought it was safe to say he failed.

He tried to find out what else was wrong with him, because looking around at the running blobs he figured he had to have more than just a concussion. With some effort he made himself move all of his fingers and shift his arms, but they were all alright albeit sore. Making his way done his body he took a deep breath and found while his ribs were probably severely bruised, he doubted they were cracked and knew they were not broken. Next came his legs, he moved his left and nothing happened. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he just had a serious concussion. He sent a silent prayer for his hopeful thinking to be correct before jerking his right leg.

The pain hit him hard and crushed his hopes. The air whooshed out of him and wouldn't have been able to keep silent if he had the air, but all he could manage was to take quick gasps through his nose. He arched his back off the ground as if to escape the fiery nerves but a pair hand shoved him down again. Slowly the pain lessened to a manageable level and he gratefully sucked in oxygen to his deprived lungs. He felt hands sliding beneath him and then he was lifted and laid on a something hard. He was moving, he was sure of that, and his concussed brain figured that he would have to go in an ambulance. It took a minute for that word to be processed. _Ambulance._ _Him. In said ambulance. Then the hospital._ He had a childish, uncontrollable fear of needles and hospitals. He had an urge to resist even though that was asurb considering the extent of his injuries. Before he could stop himself he was pushing the hands off of him and struggling to sit up. Voices got louder but that only fueled him. A needle entered his peripheral vision and panic rushed up his throat. He put every ounce of his strength and focus on getting away. There was shouting that made his head pound even harder than it had before but it didn't slow his efforts. He felt hands pinning his arms to his sides and then the cold metal of a needle being plunged into the inside of his elbow. Slowly his muscles relaxed involuntarily and sleep threatened to take him. However, he knew that if he allowed himself to he would awake in the hospital confused, disoriented, and alone. He despised that feeling so he simply stared at the ceiling of the ambulance, stubbornly resisting the effects of whatever drug they had given him. Time passed almost in slow motion and it was uneventful save for an IV being inserted. He had felt the sharp stinging in his upper wrist and deduced what it was, but the drug was strong enough to immobilize him. Eventually they reached the hospital where the doors were yanked open. A nurse leaned over him and widened her eyes in shock once she realized Tony was still awake. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself even though it was probably in his interest to allow the drugs to do their job.

She shook the expression of her face and then grabbed another needle. A shrill noise erupted in the enclosed space, and judging by the way he could feel his heart pounding against his rib cage, it was probably the heart monitor. She seemed to smile reassuringly before emptying the contents into him. For a few seconds he felt no different, but then his eyes began to droop down on their own accord. He was able to force them back open, but then they fell shut and stayed as such.

Doctor Edison's POV

The nurses and staff rushed the stretcher into the hospital. The poor kid had badly broken his right leg to the point where the bone showed through, and he had a serious unrated concussion. Not to mention if the retold scene of getting him to the ambulance meant anything, the kid was scared of hospitals. He wasn't assigned to the kid, but he empathized with him. He figured the least he could do was call the kid's parents, even though it was a nurse's job.

Someone had told him that the kid's name was Tony DiNozzo and most of the nurses had mentioned that he was _that_ DiNozzo. That meant he had met Tony's dad once, they had a mutual friend and they both attended the dinner party. They had clashed, however, and the friend had made sure that they weren't ever invited to the same event again. He had called Anthony to apologize after receiving his number, though, and still had number in his phone. He scrolled through his contacts and finally found it, and hesitated before calling. He had immediately taken a disliking to Anthony, and did not particularly want to talk to him. He shook his reluctance out of him though, that wasn't fair to Tony. When he hit send it only took a moment before he answered.

"I told you that I will not sign off on something that does not benefit me!" Anthony roared angrily.

"Uh, hello, are you Anthony DiNozzo?" There was a pause and he couldn't help but wonder if Anthony was realizing his assumption in the caller or if he was debating of whether he should lie about his identity.

"Yes, I am Anthony DiNozzo. Who is calling and please make this quick."

"I am Dr. Edison, and your son has been admitted into the hospital."

"Why?" Anthony asked with his voice dry and void of emotion.

"He has a badly broken leg and concussion from football," he told him calmly hoping that it would provoke some sort of reaction to prove he actually cared for his kid.

"Football is a stupid sport, he should have listened to me." His mouth dropped open slightly but then he quickly closed as anger took him over.

"Aren't you going to come visit him? He will have to recover for a short time period in the hospital and he seems to have a fear of them."

"He's just being a coward. He'll get over himself."

"He'll be in a rather great deal of pain," he said with his voice rising in volume. "I've never seen a parent who hasn't come!"

"You're _that_ Dr. Edison aren't you? You never understood the importance of my business. I believe we are done talking." He opened his mouth to try to find out what the heck was wrong with this man but he would have been talking to an empty line. He furiously slammed his phone shut and decided to check on the boy.

On his way to Tony's room, he had to walk through the waiting room. There sat three football players in the same uniform as Tony's, looking uncomfortable in their bulky gear trying to squeeze into the small chairs. As soon as they saw him they jumped up and started asking questions.

"Has a Tony DiNozzo been admitted yet?"

"Do you know where he is?"

"How is he?"

"What's his room number?"

"When will he be okay?"

"Hey!", he practically had to shout to be heard over them. "He has not been assigned to me, but I can go check on how he is doing. Would you do me a favor and call his parents?" He had still had a flicker of hope in him that Anthony was not a monster and maybe hearing kids the age of his own would elicit some response.

"Uh, sure, we'll call." They looked doubtful and his hope was extinguished. They knew Anthony would not come just as much as he did.

"Alright, I will be back as soon as possible." he said in departure. He went through the double doors and down the hallway to where Tony's room should be. He froze though, and worry clenched his heart. There was too many nurses, too many doctors for everything to be going smooth, normal even. Something was definitely wrong.

 **Please review! You can always tell me what you would like to happen next in the story!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- I love reviews so much and all of you guys made my day! I'm sorry this is so late, school has taken over my life and I didn't have much time to write. This is actually shorter than all of the other chapters, but if I had made it longer you guys would have had to wait for a while longer. I don't own NCIS. Yet. I don't own NCIS yet.**

Gibbs burst into the building with Shannon trailing behind.

"Calm down, Jethro, we don't even know what happened!" she attempted to reason with him. He didn't acknowledge that he had heard her though, only continued to quicken his pace and plow through people.

"Where's Tony DiNozzo?" he demanded the young nurse sitting at the front desk while simultaneously sending her his best glare.

She looked rather annoyed to be interrupted until she looked up from her computer and saw his face. She seemed to flinch involuntarily under the gaze and then blush at her lack of self control.

"Sir, I cannot disclose that information without some sort of proof you are family." She forced a very fake smile and straightened out her back to make herself appear taller. Gibbs' features contorted with annoyance making Shannon scared of the scene that was about to happen. The thought occurred to her that maybe she should even try to stop him, but then she remembered two things. One, she was just as worried about Tony as Gibbs was. Two, this was Gibbs they were talking about. Not exactly the sensible, listen to someone else kind of guy.

Shannon looked on with amusement and slight embarrassment as Gibbs reached down into his pocket and pulled out his badge. He slammed it onto the counter with considerable force, producing a loud bang. Multiple people around the room pulled their heads out from the magazine and glanced around curiously.

"I don't think you understand. I _will_ see Tony DiNozzo," he snarled through clenched teeth.

"Only if you are here to arrest him will you be allowed to enter into his room," she replied stubbornly.

"Tony is a witness to a crime and I must speak to him immediately," Jethro lied without hesitation.

The nurse seemed to consider his words with hesitation. "Fine. His room is 218 on the second floor. You cannot put him under any pressure, do you understand?" the nurse asked sternly but it was too late, he was already nearly running to the elevator. Shannon shot the lady an apologetic glance even though she had been irritating before running to catch up with her husband. The elevator was painfully slow and the cliche elevator music was an insult to the serious mood. When they arrived on the waiting room on the second floor Gibbs was out before the doors had fully opened. The first thing he noticed was the football players that he assumed to be Tony's friends. When they saw him they jumped up and walked over briskly.

"A doctor went to get an update fifteen minutes ago and he still hasn't come back," one told him and he appreciated him cutting to the chase. He recognized the voice of the young man and he realized he was the one who had called to alert him of what happened.

"I'll be right back, I know his room number," Jethro told them before going the way the sign directed without waiting for a response. When he got into the overly bright hallway he singled out the one room where at least fifteen members of the hospital staff must've been stationed. His gut turned and he _knew_ that was Tony's room. Shannon, who was pursuing her spouse as best she could without running, must have come to a similar conclusion with her own gut because a gasp escaped her lips. He rushed forward and attempted to push through everyone, but a security guard effectively stopped him.

"You cannot go in there. There has been a few complications, sir. You have to stay in the waiting room." her voice commanded. Seeing that his eyes were focused on the room and didn't seem to acknowledge her holding him back she asked, "Sir, are you alright?"

Gibbs either didn't feel the need to answer or he wasn't listening, but Shannon decided to step in.

"Jethro, come on. We have to wait a bit," she said calmer than she felt. She gently took his arm and lead him away from the commotion, after smiling at the security guard to keep her from calling someone to check on Gibbs. He still hadn't said anything and Shannon was nervous that he was shutting down the same way he had when Kelly had gotten a high fever and been hospitalized last year. "Jethro you have to talk to the other boys remember?"

He nodded and ran a hand down his face before entering into the waiting room where the football players eagerly jumped to there feet to receive the news.  
"They won't let me in, and all they would say is that there was complications." Gibbs told them without emotion on his face or in his voice. They seemed to deflate with the uninformative report and they sat back down in the chairs.

"We called his dad, but we couldn't get past his assistant. Apparently he was in a meeting," the one who had talked before informed him. Gibbs clenched his jaw and curled his hands tightly into fists, but was not surprised. He had long established a hate for Senior and no longer expected to ever care about anything unless it would get him money or power.

"Okay, we'll just have to wait here for a bit. Don't worry Tony will be fine," Shannon stepped in seeing that her husband wasn't going to answer. She took one of the awful chairs beside Tony's friends while Gibbs paced restlessly.

After twenty minutes Gibbs was still waking back and forth in the small space between the wall and the table that held random magazines of hobbies no one had. There was still no word and worry clenched at Gibbs' heart. Something was definitely wrong, and eventually he would lose self control and he would find out himself no matter who tried to block the doorway.

After an hour Gibbs was on the verge of breaking something. The medical smell of the hospital seemed to increase with every breath until he had to breath through his mouth. The white walls seemed to be getting brighter and the lights more blinding. He took a deep breath and centered himself. Tony _would_ be alright, he would make sure of it.

Time stretched by and the other people in the room slowly left as there reasons for being there were solved. But they stayed. And then nurses left and new ones arrived. But they stayed.

After three hours Gibbs couldn't take it anymore. He was going to find out what was happening in that room no matter who told him he couldn't. He left the room with quick strides with Shannon jumping up to keep up with him. But she couldn't come with him. He was prepared to shove his way through security guards if needed and he couldn't have his wife with him when he was.

"Shannon, I need you to stay with Tony's friends." She opened her mouth to protest, but Gibbs sent her an emotional look and she knew that he needed to be alone.

"Alright, but promise you tell me what's happening as soon as you find out what's happening."

The corners of his mouth turned up at his beautiful, concerned wife and nodded once. She shot one last look down the hallway even though she couldn't see Tony's room, before turning around.

Once she was gone Gibbs took a deep breath and continued down the hallway. Outside of room 218 there was no one and he felt relief flood through him, taking it as a sign Tony was doing better. He jogged down to the room and flung open the door and took in everything at once. There was a doctor and two other nurses moving around Tony whose heads shut up upon his unexpected arrival.

But what drew his attention was Tony. He was unconscious, but even in sleep lines of pain were evident on his face. His skin lacked its usual olive color, instead very pale and unhealthy looking. His leg was not in a cast but elevated and the doctor seemed to have been studying it. One of the most appalling thing, though, was that he was in restraints.

"Why is he in those?" he demanded.

"He was seems to have a fear of hospitals. If he moves around, like he was before, he could very easily cause extended damage to his leg." the doctor replied, obviously confident he had made the right choose. Gibbs immediately took a disliking to this man.

"Why is this taking so long? He's been here for hours and still does not have a cast." Gibbs asked.

"There has been a complication. We are nervous to do surgery even though it is necessary. We are concerned about the surrounding nerve endings and blood vessels. Surgery might make any damage worse which could cause partial paralysis to his leg."

Gibbs took in the information slowly. He couldn't imagine Tony without full movement of his leg. He was obsessed with sports and moving in general, he said that's how he did his best thinking. He would be miserable with paralysis, no matter how partial.

"What can you do?" he asked not so angry anymore now that other emotions had overpowered his rage.

"We will take him into surgery in the next half hour. We will be as careful as possible, but I wouldn't be too optimistic. We need you to leave now so we can prep him."

He nodded slowly before leaving the room to tell Shannon the news.

 **Would you guys rather me take longer to write a chapter or have me just post slightly shorter chapters? Please review and you can always tell me what you want to do with the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- Thank you for the reviews and follows! I did my best to reply to all of them! Again sorry for the wait.**

Gibbs studied Tony's unmoving face. It was unnerving to see him so still. An unhelpful voice in his head reminded him that Tony might have to move less if there was paralysis. He had been assured that the surgery had gone as best as it could given the circumstances, but it was hard to believe that while looking at Tony's pale face that lightly shined with sweat. He was told that they could not tell if there was any damage to nerve endings until he woke up, which should happen soon.

Gibbs let out a long sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face. He needed Tony to wake up for his sake; for Shannon's. He leaned forward and clasped Tony's hand between two of his.

"You know how I told you before that you looked like a squirrel on coffee? Yeah, well, do you want me to break rule six? Fine. I'm sorry. Can you wake up now?" He half expected some sort of response and waited for a minute before sinking back into his chair.

He didn't remember nodding off; he hadn't thought it was possible considering the caffeine he had been pumping himself with. But sure enough, he opened his eyes slowly and stretched his pained neck. He glanced across from himself at Tony and felt his heart skip a beat when he found two vibrant green eyes staring back at him. It took every undercover case's practice for him to not show it on his face, instead giving him a small smile.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Gibbs greeted.

"Um, excuse you, I was awake before you." Tony argued, but it was half-hearted. He seemed to occasionally glance around the room, as if searching for all the exits. _Right. He hates hospitals,_ Gibbs reminded himself. Gibbs heart clenched with empathy and concern for the younger man. He reached his hand out and took Tony's in his.

"Can you.." Gibbs started, hoping that Tony catch on.

"Move my leg? Not currently." Tony told him with his voice light but his face contorted with emotions.

"Tony-" Gibbs started.

"They don't know if it's permanent, Gibbs," Tony interrupted. "They said they can't be sure until all of the medicines wear off, and then I still can do physical therapy." Gibbs would've smiled if there had not been such circumstances. It sounded like Tony, the one in a hospital bed and unable to move his leg, was attempting to calm Gibbs down.

"You are stubborn enough to _make_ your leg work again," Gibbs reassured him. Tony smiled, but it still didn't quite reach his eyes. He was fidgeting with the sheet that rested on his lap, and his uninjured leg was moving back and forth. He looked like he wanted to stand up and sign himself out of the hospital, and he probably would have if he could move his leg. But that wasn't the only problem. As Gibbs got a better a look at him, he noted a thick layer of perspiration on his forehead and his cheeks flushed, showing signs of a fever. He put the back of his hand to Tony's forehead and scowled when he tried to pull away.

"You have a fever, Tony."

"The doctor told me that I was showing early signs of an infection."

"You really did a number on your leg," Gibbs observed.

"Hey," Tony defended. "I was simply playing football and minding my own business when BOOM! I'm about to catch the ball and-" Tony probably would have gone into great detail of what happened, but as he inhaled the air caught on his throat. His chest heaved as he erupted into a harsh coughing fit. Gibbs swiftly stood up and slipped an arm beneath Tony's shoulders. He pulled him up into a sitting position to hopefully assist with his breathing, but it did not seem to have much effect. Finally, it passed, leaving him exhausted.

"Gibbs, I don't feel so good," he said as he sagged against his pillows. Gibbs checked his temperature again and decided he was not comfortable with it.

"Tony, I'm going to get a nurse, alright?" Tony mumbled something, but too quiet for Gibbs to hear. "What did you say?"

"Just don't leave, 'kay?" Tony repeated.

"I won't, I promise. I'll be right back," Gibbs promised. He gave him one last glance before hurrying into the hallway. He caught a nearby nurse's attention and waved her to come inside. She quickly came inside and shortly assessed Tony, looking for the issue.

"What's wrong?" she asked with genuine concern evident in her voice.

"His temperature is elevated, and he's been coughing." Gibbs explained while again taking Tony's hand is his own. The nurse produced a thermometer from a bin in the corner of the room before pressing it onto Tony's forehead. She frowned as she pulled it away.

"His temperature is 102.3. I'm going to assume that his infection has developed."

"How does a broken leg get infected?" Gibbs asked, confused. The nurse studied the clipboard attached to the end of Tony's bed before replying.

"It was an open fracture. It must have been exposed to either fungi or bacteria. While this is unfortunate, it is not terrible. I'll administer some antibiotics, but if his temperature increases any more, we'll consult his doctor." She messed around with the IV that snaked into his arm before returning her attention to Gibbs. "Don't worry, your son will be fine." She left the room before it even occurred to Gibbs her mistake.

"Hey Gibbs?" Tony asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know to come?"

"One of friends called. We came as soon as they did." Gibbs explained.

"We?"

"Kelly was too tired so Shannon and her got a hotel."

"Thank you," Tony said softly.

"For what?" Gibbs brow furrowed.

"For coming. Hate the hospital." Gibbs smiled at Tony.

"I know you do."

"Gibbs, I'm scared." Tony admitted after a pause.

"Tony, you don't need to be. There's a good chance you'll be able to move your leg eventually. You just need to be patient. And if you can't, it's not the end of the world." Gibbs hoped he was coming across as encouraging. It was easier considering it was Tony, but he always found situations like these difficult.

"Gibbs, you know all of my careers I am considering require me to have use of my leg." It was true, and Gibbs couldn't deny it. However, he was saved from responding because Shannon and Kelly chose that moment to arrive.

"Hi, Kelly!" Tony exclaimed immediately. She eagerly ran up and jumped up onto the hospital bed, narrowly missing his leg. Thankfully, Tony didn't seem to mind. Kelly snuggled up beneath his arm and pressed herself into his side. Tony almost imperceptibly winced, reminding Gibbs that Tony was probably covered in bruises from the tackle.

"Hey, Kelly, be careful. Don't hurt Tony." Gibbs reminded her gently.

"It's okay, Gibbs. Kelly just missed me, isn't that right?" Kelly bounced her head up and down vigorously before wrapping an arm around his torso.

"You don't visit anymore!" She complained loudly.

"I'm sorry, Kelly. I've been really busy." Tony ruffled Kelly's hair and she giggled loudly. Tony beamed and opened his mouth to say something more, but he was plagued with another coughing fit. He rolled away from Kelly and coughed roughly into the crook of his arm. Shannon helped Kelly get down from the bed while Gibbs helped Tony get through the fit. He hefted Tony into an upright position and murmured soft words of encouragement that only Tony could hear. When he was finally done, everyone was on looking with concern.

"Should I go get a nurse?" Shannon asked nervously. Tony weakly waved the idea off.

"I'm fine. Promise."

"That's not true," Gibbs interjected. "You have an infection and you can't even move your leg." Gibbs words came out harsher than intended and Tony's gaze fell down to his leg. Shannon gasped at the new information, and Kelly, who wasn't completely unaware of what was happening, clutched her mom's hand. "I'm sorry-" Gibbs began.

"Rule six, Gibbs," Tony interrupted. "And it's alright." He looked over at Shannon and Kelly. "They are not worried about the infection. It'll go away. As for not being able to move it, they're not sure about that. It could go away once the meds wear off, but we just can't know. I'll be alright."

"Tony, that doesn't sound alright to me." Shannon told him.

"Honestly,-" he broke off into another coughing fit. It was much shorter than the previous two, but it took more effort. When he finished he fell back against the bed. "'m tired."

Gibbs sent Shannon a look that she understood instantly. Silently, she took Kelly's hand and led her out of the room to leave them alone.

"Get some rest, Tony." Gibbs told him kindly. Tony, whose eyes were already only half-mast, nodded. Within minutes he was curled in a loose ball and snoring quietly.

 **Don't own NCIS, but I still deserve reviews. What do you want to happen next?**


	6. Chapter 6

Tony woke up and blinked several times as the overhead light overwhelmed him. He gave his eyes a minute to adjust before propping himself up on his elbow. He examined his surroundings, which he concluded to be the same hospital room as before, and then remembered Gibbs. He no longer occupied the chair he had when Tony had fallen asleep, and after a quick assessment Tony found he was not in the room at all. Tony, for a reason unbeknownst to himself, suddenly felt a loose grip of fear on his heart. It was irrational, he knew that. Gibbs had probably gone out to get coffee or gone home to his family and would be back soon. But that didn't stop his deep rooted fear of hospitals from letting itself be known.

Tony took a deep breath knowing he just needed to hold it together for a while, until he could sign himself out. However, what was supposed to be a calming breath, only served to push him closer to panic. The air reeked of antiseptic and choked him as it went towards his lungs. He clutched onto the bars on the side of his bed until he felt his breathing improving. Finally, when he felt he was ready to move, he sat up. Without giving himself enough time to think clearly, he yanked the IV that snaked out of his arm. He grunted as blood began to flow slowly out of the hole, and he quickly ripped of a part of his hospital scrub shirt and tied it around the area. Now came the hard part; standing up while he couldn't move one of his legs. A flash of doubt crossed his mind, but it was too late to stop now.

He swung his good leg off the edge of the bed and gripped tightly onto the rail. He tested his weight on it and decided that it would hold. He pulled himself up and straightened his body until he was standing by balancing precariously on one leg with the other bent. He grabbed onto a nearby table, preparing to jump. However, just a second before he was going to do it, the door opened and in stepped Jethro Gibbs. Crap. This was going to be bad.

Gibbs first looked to the empty bed. Then Tony. Then the bed, and back to Tony's leg. His expression morphed from confusion to anger.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, about that, I was just-"

"Are you trying to kill yourself? Or are you stupid?" Ouch. That hurt.

"Gibbs, the hospital… you know how I feel 'bout them…" He must have sounded pathetic because Gibbs sighed and walked over. He helped him back to the bed before dropping down into the chair.

"Tony, look, I'm sorry-" He stopped when a huge smile crossed Tony's face. "What?"

"You just broke your own rule," he replied smugly. Gibbs looked at him, surprised, and then shook his head.

"Only you, Tony. Only you. Get some sleep."

* * *

Gibbs woke to an incessant tapping on the shoulder. He sat up in his chair quickly, the fatherly part of him always worried that something was wrong. He found Tony lying in the bad, thank goodness, with a huge grin covering his face.

"What?" He felt like he was missing something.

"Come on, Gibbs, aren't you a detective for a living?"

Gibbs looked around the room and examined Tony's face. He wondered what could have made him so impossibly happy. Oh. _Oh._ The tapping. His shoulder was next to Tony's foot.

"You can move it?" He asked because he needed to be sure before he started jumping up and down like Kelly in a candy store.

"Yep." Gibbs hadn't thought the smile would have been able to get any bigger. Tony must like proving him wrong. For a moment he thought he would start crying right in front of Tony. Instead he pulled Tony against his chest and wiped his eyes with back of his hand. Crying could come later. Tony was okay. And Gibbs did something he hadn't done in a while; he prayed his thanks.

 **Okay, I know, cheesy and rushed ending. I'm sorry. I just wanted to get it done. And I'm sorry for the really long delay. I don't have an excuse. I just stopped writing.**


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